AfterExperience
by Robwood
Summary: A short story to connect the dots between Buffy and the Angel episode Damage.


She had become one with the world…and had felt its teeth. While Willow remained all together unchanged from the experience, lingering waves of "after-experience," as she called it, occasionally brushed her being. She could sense that certain events were leading to their piques and she, along with Buffy and the rest of the Scooby gang, acted upon those after-experiences—when they could—to set whatever course of events right.

Her first after-experience came to her as she slept in her new apartment in Italy. She felt like it was a very powerful dream, but paid it no other attention. Then it came to her while she was fully awake, and Willow was able to fully immerse herself in the after-experience to completely understand its true nature. The after-experience disturbed her, though she wasn't sure quite why. She envisioned Angel walking side-by-side with a wolf, ram, and deer in an environment made entirely of fire.

Giles was quick to research the phenomenon, although in a more natural—and traditional—manner. He did a little investigation to see where Angel was at the moment and found him to be working for a law firm called Wolfram and Hart. Further research into the matter disturbed him greatly. Absorbing himself into some old tomes, he discovered that the wolf, ram, and hart are three of the oldest, more powerful, creatures of evil, bested only by The First. It was with a great pit in his stomach that he informed Buffy of his findings.

Willow's after-experiences never lessened in intensity, leaving her frozen in the middle of whatever it was she was doing until it released her. Her soul—her spiritual being—touched many aspects of the world, and despite the horrors the after-experiences brought, she always took comfort in the feeling that the Earth was always protecting her somehow.

She dreamed again. There was a girl who had gained great power…and had gone mad from the experience. She, like thousands of other girls, became a Slayer. But, because of her abusive background, she couldn't handle it; couldn't process the gifts that had been given to her. She roamed around the streets of Los Angeles dazed by her assault, unthinking, uncaring, of what she did or said. She then walked down a long alley of darkness, at the end of which was a bright light. A figure emerged from that light. It was Angel, his hand outreached to take her into his company. Willow, naturally, called Buffy from Brazil with her new information.

Buffy sounded less than pleased. She gathered up the gang (minus Xander, since he was in Africa) and brought them up to speed—with some added information by Giles from Angel's phone call—and the plan was made: Andrew would fly to Los Angeles with an entourage of newly-established Slayers, find the girl by enlisting Angel's aid, and then bring the girl back to Rome so Buffy could help her. Under no circumstances was Angel to keep the girl.

Andrew wasn't Buffy's first choice, but everyone else had too much personal involvement with Angel, which meant that it would be harder for them to fool him into believing that they were still on his side. And as much as she hated to admit it, Andrew was the only one she trusted—not even the other Slayers had gained enough of her trust for her to send them out on their own. This mission was too important to be fouled up, and Andrew was the only one who could successfully pull it off, thanks mainly due to Giles teaching him the ways of the Watcher.

The plane to London, thankfully the only changeover stop on the flight, was about to take off in about fifteen minutes. Buffy was with Andrew and the girls to see them off. She gave explicit orders that they were to do whatever Andrew needed of them and under no circumstances go rogue. Many of the Slayers didn't care for the orders too much, thirsting to prove their worth, but they accepted her orders since they relied upon her to teach them how to wisely use their new abilities.

Before Andrew boarded the plane, he took one last look at Buffy and saw mixed emotions swirling behind her eyes: anger, hurt, betrayal…everything she was feeling about Angel. He tried to comfort her, but she didn't listen. As far as she was concerned, Angel was working for the enemy, and therefore couldn't be trusted.

The flight to Los Angeles was a long one.


End file.
